Pathways to Prosperity: Canada

Project Description:

This study looks at immigrant students’ outcomes in the Greater Toronto Area and a number of second- and third-tier Ontario cities; the Academica Group and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario are partners. The project includes an examination of the college applications of 50,000 students between 2007 and 2010, in addition to a comparison of college and university applicants in 2010. In this phase of the study, application patterns, motivations, and scholastic decisions were analysed. Preliminary results suggest that immigrant students are more likely than other applicants to have academic averages of 90% or higher in their final year of high school. Moreover, while non-immigrant students cite career preparation as their primary reason for applying to post-secondary institutions, immigrant students cite career preparation in addition to improved social status. The next stage of the research is underway and includes an analysis of the outcomes of post-secondary students. The focus will be on the factors that influence student pathways, including students’ academic profile, use of services, school engagement, time use, funding, and labour market and employment influences. The results of this study will allow for comparisons between immigrant and non-immigrant students, including an analysis of their outcomes, motivations, and the factors affecting their academic paths.

Leads (Names and Cities of researchers):

• Dawn Zinga, Brock University, St. Catharines,ON
• Christine Tardif-Williams, Brock University, St. Catharines,ON

Start Date: August 2010

Deliverables:

• Report on the post-secondary experiences of visible minority and immigrant youth
• Presentation to relevant stakeholders, including university and college support services
• Conference presentations
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals

Funder: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council CURA Grant

Pilot cities/sites (if relevant): N/A